After wrapping up the chaos on the bridge, Ethan Voss wasted no time. Instead of resting, he immediately called another meeting with the Avengers. The atmosphere inside the room was tense, but everyone had shown up.
Natasha Romanoff sat quietly near the table, her expression unreadable as always. Tony Stark leaned back in his chair with the familiar arrogance of a man who had never met a rule he couldn't mock. Steve Rogers stood with his arms folded, posture straight and disciplined. Cain Marko—the unstoppable Juggernaut—occupied an entire corner by himself, while Remy LeBeau, better known as Gambit, twirled a playing card between his fingers out of habit.
The moment Stark saw Ethan, he threw his hands up dramatically. His voice echoed across the room with exaggerated despair.
"I knew I shouldn't have joined this ridiculous Avengers project," he groaned. "Look at this. I've officially lost all my value."
Ethan smiled calmly, completely unmoved by the sarcasm. He pulled out a chair and sat down as if this were an ordinary business meeting.
"Tony, you're actually early this time," he said lightly. "I thought you'd be the last one to show up."
Stark snorted and folded his arms.
"This is about saving the world," he said. "Even I know that's not something to procrastinate on. That doesn't mean I'm impressed though."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'd really love to see how you plan to save the world."
Ethan's smile widened just a little.
"Then watch carefully," he said. "Just try not to faint from shock."
After that brief exchange, Ethan's expression became serious. He looked around the room at everyone gathered.
"You all heard what I said on the bridge earlier," he said calmly. "So I won't repeat the whole thing again."
He leaned back slightly.
"Now tell me—does anyone have questions?"
For several seconds, the room remained silent. The Avengers exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
Ethan shrugged casually.
"If everything's clear," he said, "shall we get started?"
Steve Rogers finally stepped forward. The captain's brows were furrowed with concern, and his voice carried the restrained urgency of someone who had been holding back for a while.
"What exactly did Nick Fury do wrong?"
Ethan answered without hesitation.
"He announced our existence to the universe."
The sentence landed like a bomb.
Steve blinked, completely stunned.
"What does that even mean?"
Ethan straightened slightly in his chair. He puffed out his chest with calm confidence, looking every bit like someone who had already calculated every possibility.
"I have a theory," he said.
"For thousands of years, humanity has lived without detecting a single trace of extraterrestrial civilizations. Because of that, we assumed we were alone and continued living peacefully."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"This year, we finally confirmed the existence of alien life. And immediately afterward, we ran into the greatest crisis humanity has ever faced."
His gaze sharpened as he looked across the room.
"Why do you think that happened?"
Everyone listened carefully.
Ethan's eyes swept across the Avengers one by one.
"In my opinion," he said slowly, "our universe is a vast dark forest."
The metaphor hung in the air.
"Every civilization is a hunter hiding somewhere within that forest," Ethan continued. "Every one of them is holding a shotgun."
His voice remained calm, but the weight behind it made the room feel colder.
"The universe is full of danger. Every hunter can become either the killer or the prey."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Now imagine a hunter sitting quietly in the dark forest. If he suddenly lights a campfire, revealing exactly where he is…"
Ethan's eyes hardened.
"How many rifles do you think would instantly point at that fire from the surrounding darkness?"
The room fell silent again.
Even Tony Stark, who normally never ran out of sarcastic comments, inhaled sharply.
Ethan's tone turned even more serious.
"Some hunters might choose not to shoot," he said. "Some hunters might not have weapons strong enough to kill us."
He paused deliberately.
"But can any of you calculate exactly how many guns are pointed at us right now? Can you calculate how many have already fired?"
His voice lowered slightly.
"And how many bullets are already flying straight toward our hearts?"
No one spoke.
Ethan crossed his arms.
"And our brilliant Director Nick Fury," he said flatly, "is the one who lit the campfire."
Steve frowned deeply.
"What reason could he possibly have for doing that?"
Ethan let out a short laugh filled with pure disbelief.
"He said he was building guns for us."
Gambit glanced at Juggernaut, clearly confused. The two of them didn't fully follow the cosmic-level discussion.
Tony Stark, however, was still thinking.
"You said he exposed Earth's existence," Stark said. "How exactly did he manage that?"
Ethan gave a cold smile.
"Because he decided to play with something he didn't understand."
He tapped the table lightly.
"He activated the Cosmic Cube."
Everyone froze.
"The moment that thing was activated," Ethan continued, "its energy signature could be detected across the entire universe."
His voice carried quiet certainty.
"Any civilization capable of tracking that energy can easily trace it back here. Finding Earth after that is practically effortless."
Steve looked genuinely shocked.
"The Cosmic Cube is really that powerful?"
"Of course," Ethan replied calmly. "It's one of the most valuable artifacts in the entire universe."
Steve and Tony exchanged a look. Neither of them had anything to say.
Seeing that no one else had more questions, Ethan continued.
"I've already had people track down Loki's location," he said. "Now we just need to wait for confirmation."
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s surveillance network worked with terrifying efficiency. It didn't take long before Loki's position was discovered.
28 Königstraße, Stuttgart, Germany.
Ethan slid a document across the table toward Steve and Tony.
"Captain Rogers. Stark," he said calmly. "Go bring him back."
Tony glanced over the file, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"So this Loki guy…" Stark said slowly. "He's really the Norse god from mythology?"
Tony tilted the file slightly.
"Because from these pictures, he just looks like another guy in a weird outfit."
Ethan shrugged.
"He is," he said casually. "And if you're interested, you might get the chance to experience what it feels like to beat up a god."
Tony smiled slightly.
"Now that," he said, "sounds interesting."
After they left, Ethan suddenly sensed movement inside the Kingdom of Gods. He immediately stepped through the portal to check.
Standing there waiting was Thor, the God of Thunder.
Odin had sensed Loki's presence on Earth once again and had opened a portal to send Thor down.
The moment Thor saw Ethan, his face lit up with genuine joy.
"Hey, my friend!" Thor said loudly. "It's been far too long!"
It really had been a while.
Odin had stubbornly refused to allow Thor to marry Jane Foster and had even forbidden him from returning to Earth. The decision had nearly driven the thunder god insane.
Thor quickly asked his second question.
"Where's Jane?"
Ethan chuckled slightly.
"Jane's been waiting for you," he said. "But she's been feeling pretty depressed."
He crossed his arms thoughtfully.
"So I encouraged her to travel a bit. See the world. Continue her research."
Ethan shrugged.
"She's probably in London right now, working on something scientific. I'm not completely sure though."
Thor hesitated.
"You want to go see her?"
Thor thought for a moment before shaking his head firmly.
"No," he said. "My father ordered me to bring Loki back immediately."
His voice lowered slightly.
"Since Loki disappeared, my mother has been heartbroken. The entire kingdom of Asgard has been mourning."
Thor clenched his fist.
"My brother has always been mischievous," he continued. "I'm bringing him home."
A faint cold smile appeared on Ethan's lips.
"Are you certain he's only being mischievous?"
Thor paused.
"He's only been on Earth for a few days," Ethan said calmly, "and he's already killed dozens of people."
Thor's eyes flickered with uncertainty.
"You might not believe it," Thor said slowly, "but Loki was adopted."
"I believe you," Ethan replied immediately.
Several hours later, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark returned.
And they brought Loki with them.
Thor had been standing behind Ethan the entire time. The moment he saw Loki, however, all restraint vanished.
His eyes turned red with emotion.
Thor rushed forward and grabbed Loki by the collar.
"My brother!" Thor said hoarsely. "I thought you were dead!"
Loki shrank back slightly, though the mocking smile on his face never faded.
"Oh?" Loki said softly. "Did you mourn for me?"
Thor nodded heavily.
"All of Asgard mourned you," he said. "My father mourned you as well."
Hatred flashed through Loki's eyes.
"That's your father," Loki said coldly. "Not mine."
Thor looked devastated.
"We grew up together," Thor said. "We played together. We fought side by side."
His voice cracked slightly.
"Have you forgotten all of that?"
Loki laughed quietly.
"I spent my entire life living in your shadow," he said.
"If Odin hadn't kidnapped me, I would have been a king."
Ethan slowly raised his hand.
"Uh… I'd like to interrupt for a moment."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Actually," Ethan said calmly, "if Odin hadn't taken you, you would have frozen to death."
He spoke without the slightest hesitation.
"Your body was too weak. The Frost Giant King abandoned you because he didn't want you."
Loki froze.
Thor suddenly looked proud.
"See?" Thor said confidently. "Loki, we are your family."
His voice softened.
"You know how our mother treated you. She raised you to become the greatest mage in all Nine Realms."
Thor spread his hands.
"Isn't that proof of how much she loved you?"
Loki remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, he spoke quietly.
"I'm sorry, brother," Loki said.
"But my goal was never just to become the greatest sorcerer in the Nine Realms."
Thor had no reply.
Ethan gently patted him on the shoulder.
"It's fine," Ethan said. "Take some time to organize your thoughts before you try persuading him again."
Now that Loki had arrived, Nick Fury no longer deserved the special sealed containment chamber that had been prepared earlier.
Fury was unceremoniously thrown out.
Loki, on the other hand, was placed inside it.
Ethan looked extremely satisfied.
"Alright," he said.
"Now that we can locate the Cosmic Cube, everyone can go home."
"Good work, everyone. Keep it up!"
.....
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